照

According To/going by

Level 3Sounds Like ziu3

Use 照 (ziu3) to say you are doing something 'according to' a rule or model, or to express that you are doing something 'anyway' despite a change in circumstances.

How It Works

In Cantonese, 照 (ziu3) is a versatile word used to express 'according to' or 'anyway'.

1. Basic Usage: 'According to'
You can place 照 (ziu3) before a noun or phrase to show you are following a guide or instruction.

  • 照規矩 (ziu3 kwai1 geoi2): According to the rules.
  • 照你話齋 (ziu3 nei5 waa6 zaai1): According to what you said.

2. The 'Still / Anyway' Usage
A very common Cantonese function of 照 (ziu3) is to mean 'anyway' or 'regardless'. It is often paired with 都 (dou1) to show that an action continues despite an obstacle.

  • 落雨都照去 (lok6 jyu5 dou1 ziu3 heoi3): It's raining, but I'm going anyway.
  • 佢唔舒服都照返工 (keoi5 m4 syu1 fuk6 dou1 ziu3 faan1 gung1): He's not feeling well but is still going to work anyway.

3. Using 照住 (ziu3 zyu6)
Adding the durative marker 住 (zyu6) creates two meanings:

  • Active Guidance: Looking at a model while doing something (e.g., 照住個地圖行 ziu3 zyu6 go3 dei6 tou4 haang4 - walking while following the map).
  • Protection (Idiomatic): To watch over or back someone up. For example, 有大佬照住 (jau5 daai6 lou2 ziu3 zyu6) means 'having a big brother/boss looking out for you'.

4. Fixed Expressions
照 (ziu3) appears in common compounds meaning 'as usual':

  • 照舊 (ziu3 gau6): As before / same as usual.
  • 照常 (ziu3 soeng4): As normal / business as usual.

5. Register Note
In casual speech, 照 (ziu3) is the standard. In formal contexts, you will see 根據 (gan1 geoi3) instead.

Examples (4)

  1. 照佢講咁做啦。

    Just do it the way he said.

    Word by Word: According-to him speak so do [particle].

    Here, 照 (ziu3) is used with 咁 (gam2) to show the action (doing) is following the verbal instruction (what he said).

  2. 我哋照舊得架喇。

    The usual is fine for us.

    Word by Word: We according-to old okay [particle] [particle].

    照舊 (ziu3 gau6) is a very common set phrase meaning 'as before' or 'the usual' (e.g., when ordering food).

  3. 你照住張地圖行就搵到。

    Follow the map and you'll find it.

    Word by Word: You according-to-continuous [classifier] map walk then find-attain.

    Using 照住 (ziu3 zyu6) implies you are actively looking at the map while you walk.

  4. 照我睇，佢未必會嚟。

    According to my view, he might not necessarily come.

    Word by Word: According-to me see, he not-necessarily will come.

    照我睇 (ziu3 ngo5 tai2) is a common way to introduce an opinion, similar to 'The way I see it'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 照 (ziu3) for physical following.

    你照我行啦。
    你跟我行啦。

    照 (ziu3) is for following a standard or model. If you want someone to physically walk behind you, use 跟 (gan1).

  • Using the formal 根據 (gan1 geoi3) for an everyday instruction.

    Different Meaning根據佢講咁做。
    照佢講咁做。

    根據佢講咁做 is grammatical, but 根據 (gan1 geoi3) is formal and usually refers to evidence or data. For everyday instructions, 照 (ziu3) is much more natural.

How It Connects

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照Level 3According To/going by

Learn This First

To understand '照' (according to/going by), learners need to be familiar with the concept of following a model (跟) and how to structure commands and manner phrases using particles like '啦' and '咁'.

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照